Steam cooking utensil.



No. 701,217; Patented Aug. l9, I902.

' a. F. :nmsmn.

STEAM COOKING UTE'NSIL.

(Applicaqion Med Oct. '81, 1901:)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES.

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adjacent side of the tank. Fig. 3 is a frag- UNtTED. STAT GEORGE F. EDMISTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GUY R. AINSWORTH, OF WVILMETTE, ILLINOIS.

STEAM COOKI SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,217, dated August 19., 1902. Application filed October 31, 1901. .Serial No. 80,600. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitlknown that I, GEORGE F. EDMIsToN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam Cooking Utensils, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of my invention are to provide a cheap, durable, and efficient steam cooker, to provide improved means for preventing the condensed moisture at the top of the receptacle from dropping into the pans, to provide a door of improved structure forming a strong and efficient closure and arranged to prevent the condensed moisture from dripping through said closure to the outside of the device, and'to provide an improved form of shelves for supporting the pans and improved supports for said shelves; I accomplish these objects by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- l 1 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device constructed according to myinvent-ion. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the lower part of the door of said device in its closed position against the mentary view in perspective of a Wire shelf such as is shown in position in Fig. l.

The device shown consists of a cylindrical receptacle 1, constructed of sheet metal and adapted to rest on end with its axis vertical. The side walls are continuous for a considerable distance above the bottom 3 to form a tank 4:, which is suitable for the heating of water and production of steam. Above the tank 4 the side walls and top are divided longitudinally into two substantially equal parts.' The part5 is continuous and integral with the side walls of the tank 4 and with the half 6 of the top. The part 7 of the side Walls is integral with the half 8 of the top and forms a door, which is hinged. along the {edge 9 to the fixed part 5 of the sides. The vertical and upper bounding edges of the side walls and top along their lines of division are reinforced by a border of wire. In the case of the door the material along the edges 9, 10, and 11 is curled backward upon itself over terial of said sides and top is then bent backwardly upon itself and then curled over a wire extending along and immediately adjacent to said line of junction, being finally firmly soldered into place, as in the case of the door. The upper edge 16 of the tank is similarly reinforced by being curled over a wire.

The door 7 is made of two parts, a main part 17, which is the door proper, and an extension 18, which is a continuation of the main part 17 of the door and is adapted to fit tightly against the adjacent side 19 of the tank 4 when the door is in its closed position.

The lower edge of the part 17. of the door is flanged inwardly and downwardly, so as to form a hood 20,'overhanging the upper edge 16 of the tank 4:. The extension 18 is both riveted and soldered outside of the part 17.

It is crimped inwardly at 21, so as to form a shoulder resting upon the rim 16 when the door is in its closed position. Theextension 18 continuesdownwardly, so as to fit the up per part of the side 19 of the tank, and is reinforced at its lower edge 22 by being rolled backwardly upon itself, as indicated in Fig.

2. Handles 23 are provided on each of the parts 5 and 7 for convenience in closing the door, and the door is also provided with a springclasp 24, adapted to-snap' over the ridge 25 and retain said door in its closed position.

At each side of the interior of the recepo tacle 1 a vertical socket-strip 26 is attached both by soldering and riveting. Each'of said strips has thereon a series of vertical sockets 27, the sockets on one strip being disposed so as to be located at points diametrically opposite the corresponding sockets on the other strip. A circnlarwire shelfis secu'red'to each pair of said sockets, said shelves being formed of a ring of wire 28 and two diametrical crosspieces 29 and 30. crimped about each other and about the ring 28, so that their upper edges will lie in the These cross-pieces are same plane as the upper edge of the ring 28. The cross-pieces 30 are continued beyond the ring 28 and are bent inwardly, so as to form the hooks 31, which are adapted to engage the sockets 27, thus supporting the shelves and securing same against tilting. Said shelves are adapted to support a plurality of pans 32, one of which is shown in position in Fig. 1.

At the upper end of the receptacle 1 is a hook 33, from which is removably suspended a conical canopy 3 1. The canopy 34 is nearly of the same diameter as the interior of the receptacle 1 and is adapted to gather the condensed moisture which forms at the top of said receptacle and conduct said moisture toward the sides of the receptacle, thereby preventing same from dropping into the pans on the shelves below. A filling-tube 35 is secured to one side of the receptacle 1, and its lower end 36 extends through the wall of the tank at a considerable distance above the bottom. The upper end of the filling-tube is provided with a bell-mouth 37, fitted with a whistle 3S. Said whistle is provided with a small handle 39, so that it may be turned inwardly to permit the pouring of water into the tube 35, said whistle and bell-mouth being of the construction now in common use for speaking-tubes. A handle tO is provided at the upper end of the receptacle 1.

The operation of the device shown is as follows: Pans containing the food to be cooked are placed upon the shelves, as shown in Fig. 1. These pans are provided with covers orare left open,depending upon the nature of the food to be cooked. The tank 4 is filled with water. The door 7 is tightly closed and a fire started below the bottom 3 of the receptacle. The interior of the receptacle soon becomes filled with steam, and the entire interior is of an equal temperature, so that many different foods may be cooked at the same time over a single burner. The sides of the receptacle being of sheet metal large quantities of steam are condense'd thereon,the resulting water running down the sides into the tank below. The water which forms at the top of the receptacle instead of dropping into the pans and rendering the foods therein unduly moist is conducted outwardly toward the sides of the receptacle by means of the canopy 34, so as to drop beyond the edges of the pans containing said food. The hood 20 prevents moisture which runs down the sides of the door 7 from working its way downwardly between said door and the adjacent side 19 of the tank, thus preventing samefrom dropping upon the stove. It has been found that the heat and absolutely pure water which results from the condensation of steam rapidly attacks solder and loosens parts which are secured solely byits means. For this reason the soldering in my device has in the places where such protection is most necessary been reinforced by riveting. The hood 20 is made integral with the upper part of the door 7, so that the moisture running down the sides of said door will not come in contact with a soldered joint, which would soon leak and destroy the utility of the hood 20. The hood 20, the crimp 21, the reinforced edge 22, and the soldered and riveted joint between the parts 17 and 18 of the door all serve to stiffen the lower edge of the door, thereby preventing its racking and greatly increasing the life of the utensil. The strips 26 being both soldered and riveted are also proof against loosening. When the water in the tank 4 becomes so low that its upper surface is below the passage into the tube at 36, steam will escape into said passage, causing the whistle to sound and notifying the operator that the water is getting low. Said passage is located a considerable distance above the bottom of the tank, so that the alarm will be given before the tank has become entirely dry.

It will be seen that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not confine myself to such details except as hereinafter limited in the claims.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a steam cooking utensil, the combination of a tank, a semicylindrical casing formed therewith and provided with a top, a door of semicylindrical form hinged to said casing, and provided at its upper end with a top, and at its lower end with a hood extending in wardly over the tank, an extension secured to the door and arranged to close the space between the door and the tank, said extension being deflected inwardly so as to rest upon said tank when the door is closed, substantially as described.

2. In a steam cooking utensil, the combination of a tank, a semicylindrical casing formed therewith and provided with a top, a door of semicylindrical form hinged to said casing and provided at its upper end with a top, and at its lower end with a hood extending inwardly over the tank, socket-strips secured to the inner face of the casing, circular shelves supported by said socket-strips and arranged one above the other for supporting the pans, and a canopy suspended from the top of the cylindrical casing to gather condensed moisture and conduct the same to the side walls of the casing and door, substantially as described.

Signed at Chicago this 29th day of October, 1901.

GEORGE F. EDMISTON.

Witnesses: I

WM. R. RUMMLER, EUGENE A. RUMMLER. 

